Paradigm
by copagirlhb
Summary: Will Joe realize his true feelings for Iola before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Poster's Note: This is another Joe/Iola story - with a smattering of action and fun. – Will Joe realize his true feelings for Iola before it's too late? Please make sure to read the author's profile if you have never read a Copagirl story before. Thanks!

Paradigm

by Copagirl

 _Paradigm: A fundamental change in approach or assumptions._

Joe leaned forward on the bleacher bench where he sat and intently watched the young girl on the balance beam. She was petite and raven-haired, her pixie face set in concentration.

Standing in the middle of the beam, Iola Morton raised her arms before she gracefully tumbled backwards. Holding onto the beam she straightened her body then slowly raised her left hand using her right to balance herself. Her legs separated into a side split as she held her pose for two seconds before she stood upright. She then leapt to the end of the beam. Once she reached the end she back-flipped quickly three times to the other end of the beam. Not stopping, she jumped up and tucked her legs up as she executed a double flip before she landed on the mat.

Iola slowly rose to a standing position, hands raised in the air. Out of the corner of her eye she watched a small red light and waited for it to turn green. A second later as the crowd cheered, the light turned, and Iola let the smile she held back cross her face as she waved to the crowd.

Iola ran over to Callie and their coach both of whom gave her a hug. Looking out into the stands, she saw Joe where he stood next to her brother Chet; both cheered their approval. She turned and waited anxiously for her score.

 _9.9_

The numbers flashed on the scoreboard, and Iola and Callie jumped with joy. Their coach smiled proudly at his two students; with Iola's score they won the team gold medal.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Joe stood outside with Frank, while they waited in the parking lot of the Bayport Recreational Center.

"Callie's floor routine was awesome," Joe commented.

"Yeah, it was. Iola's routine was pretty great also."

"It sure was," smiled Joe. "I don't know about you but I'm ready for some food!"

"You sound like Chet!" laughed Frank.

"Chet may eat a lot but he puts those calories to good use!"

"Yeah, he sure does play hard during our pick-up games. Are you and Chet going to try out for the football team this year?" asked Frank.

"I think so – especially with Biff egging us on." Joe stood up a little straighter. "Here they come!"

Frank turned and saw Chet, Iola and Callie waving goodbye to their parents before they started making their way towards the brothers.

"Hey Frank…I've got my driver's permit with me….how about letting me drive to Mr. Pizza?" Joe gave his brother the biggest grin.

"Um…no – In order for you to drive you need to have a licensed driver who is twenty-one years old. As far as I know…I'm not!"

"Party pooper….can you drive with the top down?"

"Sure, it's a clear night – why not?!" Frank laughed as Joe pumped his fist.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Callie and Iola had quickly changed into street clothes inside the Rec Center but still had their hair up. They also wore their gold medals, wanting to show them to the brothers. Frank gave Callie a hug and congratulated Iola.

"I don't know about you guys but watching my sister and Callie doing all that jumping around has made me really hungry!" lamented Chet as he rubbed his stomach.

"My brother the bottomless pit!" giggled Iola.

Chet playfully swiped at his sister but Iola was "saved" by Joe who scooped her up in his arms and walked two steps back. Iola squealed with delight and cowered away from Chet, hiding her face between Joe's neck and shoulder.

Chet's eyebrows shot up as he stood still, staring hard at Joe holding Iola. He knew that his sister had a major crush on the younger Hardy ever since the third grade – although Chet never knew that Iola fell for Joe long before _that_.

Becoming uncomfortable with Chet staring at him – his face a beet red – Joe quickly put Iola back on the ground and playfully swatted her arm before he ran to the car and climbed into it.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Frank was glad that he hadn't given into Joe's pleading to drive the car. As he neared the Mr. Pizza parking lot a black Camaro cut him off by swerving in front of him. Frank slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the back of the Camaro. The other driver honked the horn, and the Camaro's passengers howled with laughter; some jeered and made cat-calls as it sped into the parking lot.

"Who are those jerks?!" Callie leaned forward, an angry expression on her face.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Frank with concern.

Callie, Chet and Iola assured him that they were fine and not hurt. Frank put the car back in gear and drove slowly into the parking lot He saw the Camaro and parked away from it.

"We better get inside before Chet faints from hunger!" Iola teased her brother.

"Yeah – I don't think the two of you could carry me inside," laughed Chet.

"Carry you?! What makes you think we'd do that? We'd just leave you in the car!" retorted Joe.

Taking Callie's hand, Frank shook his head with laughter as he walked to the entrance of Mr. Pizza. Iola walked in between Chet and Joe, giggling as the two friends threw out one-liner zingers at each other. They went inside the restaurant and found their regular table filled with a rowdy bunch of teens. Joe recognized one of them as the driver of the Camaro.

"Those are the jerks who cut you off," he whispered to Frank.

"I see a table at the other end…we can steer clear of them," Frank led the way.

The group of friends sat down and a familiar person appeared.

"Hey guys – how was the meet?" Tony Prito, pad and pencil in hand, smiled at his friends.

"Hi Tony! I was wondering if you were working tonight," Frank returned the greeting.

"The meet was fantastic! You should have seen Iola!" Joe almost gushed. "She got a gold medal!"

Iola, who managed to sit next to Joe, leaned and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Joe – you're so sweet!"

Tony bit back his laughter when he saw Joe turn several shades of red.

"Don't forget about Callie – she and Iola both got gold medals," Frank said.

"Congratulations! The drinks are on me! So what kind of monster pizza do you want…" Tony paused. "Then I'll take Chet's order!"

"Ha-ha, don't quit your day job!" Chet rolled his eyes.

"Aww, Chet you know I'm just—"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Put that back!"

Tony turned around and frowned. When he had seen the group of boys walk in he knew they were trouble. Two of the teens were at another table stealing slices of pizza.

"I'll be back, guys."

Sitting on the edge of his seat Joe watched as Tony approached the table. A family of four sat there; the father had risen, an angry expression on his face.

"My family and I are trying to enjoy a night out, please leave us alone!"

"Hey, Spike – should we leave them alone?" asked the dark-haired teen before he took a bite of the pizza slice.

"Naaah…we want to enjoy a night out too!" laughed Spike as he looked over at his other friends.

"Have your fun somewhere else!" Tony glared at the two teens. "I want you and your buddies to leave!"

Spike glanced back at his buddies then turned to face Tony as the rest of his group joined him.

Joe saw the rest of the gang get up and quickly shot out of his chair. Frank followed and managed to place a hand on his brother's shoulder, silently telling him to calm down. Chet also joined them.

Wanting to lend a hand, Iola and Callie helped the mother take her children away from the now dangerous situation.

The Hardys, Tony and Chet tensed when they heard the click of a switchblade opening. Spike smiled evilly as he tightly gripped the knife.

*endofchapter*endofchapter*


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Although school had ended and summer vacation had started, it was a week night so Mr. Pizza was not busy. Tony was glad that it was a slow night – no one else would get hurt…hopefully. He was also glad that Frank, Joe and Chet were here to lend him a helping hand.

A few patrons stared at the teens in fear – afraid of what was about to happen. Spike didn't pay attention as Callie slipped over to the restrooms where a payphone was also located. Callie was relieved that she didn't have to pay to make the 911 call as she didn't have any change.

Spike smiled evilly at Tony, getting ready to make his move – when the door opened and two people walked inside. Their laughter distracted Spike as he turned his attention to the newcomers. Taking advantage of the situation, Tony made his move. His hand shot out and he grabbed hold of Spike's hand – the one holding the switchblade. He twisted Spike's hand keeping a tight grip as he continued to twist, and then slammed Spike down onto the table top – the teen's arm now twisted behind his back. Spike's face landed on the still-warm pizza that the family had been eating. As Tony pressed down on Spike's back he could hear deep laughter coming from the father who had been standing close by in case the boys needed help.

When Tony made his move, Frank, Joe and Chet did the same.

Chet quickly tackled his opponent, a sandy-haired teen with a bad case of acne on his face. The momentum of his attack caused the other boy to stumble back. Both of them crashed down onto another table, causing plates and glass to fall to the floor. Several of the patrons in the restaurant cried out in alarm as the fight escalated.

Frank, who had been standing on Tony's left side, kicked the switchblade away before any of Spike's friends thought to pick it up. As Frank was kicking the weapon away, his adversary – realizing that he and his friends were about to get in serious trouble when he heard the distant sound of a police siren – turned and made a run for it. Not wanting him to get away, Frank ran after him. He leapt on one table, then another before jumping, and tackled the runaway thug in mid-air.

Joe wasn't so lucky. Before he could make a move the dark-haired teen that was facing him shoved him out of the way, then grabbed the switchblade and went after Tony. Joe caught himself before falling to the floor and turned to tackle the dark-haired youth.

Unfortunately acne-boy managed to shove Chet off him, and as Chet stumbled back his foot stepped on a spilled drink, causing him to lose his balance and fall into Joe's opponent. Still holding onto the switchblade with Chet falling into him, the dark-haired teen missed stabbing Tony in the back. Instead the blade cut through the Italian boy's shirt, slicing his upper arm.

Tony hissed in pain but kept a firm grip on Spike. The older man whose family Tony was helping lunged forward and grabbed hold of the other teen's hand just as Tony had done earlier. He twisted and banged the captured hand on the table, trying to dislodge the switchblade. Joe got into the action by wrapping his arms around the teen in a wrestler's hug.

Chet righted himself and took a step towards his opponent only to stop in fear when he saw that the sandy-haired teen had picked up a broken beer bottle, the sharp edges gleaming. Chet's eyes grew even wider when he saw Iola approaching the other teen from behind.

"Hey!" Iola yelled out.

The teen turned around in surprise, and BANG! Iola swung a deep dish pizza pan, hitting the teen squarely in the face, then smacked the hand holding the broken beer bottle. Chet gripped the teen's shoulder, swinging him around – and then pulling his arm back, Chet punched the thug in the eye.

Frank was wrestling with the runaway thug when the door to Mr. Pizza opened and several police officers stormed inside. In a few minutes the police had stopped the fight and separated the groups. Frank recognized one of the officers and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Officer Riley!" Frank tried to wave at the young police officer.

Con Riley, a tall sandy-haired man with green eyes, turned when he heard his name being called. He instantly recognized the brown-haired, brown-eyed Frank Hardy. A small smile crossed his face and he shook his head in disbelief while walking over to the older Hardy brother.

"Frank, Frank, Frank – how is it that you and Joe get into these messes?"

"Excuse me, Officer – my name is Greg Roberts," said the family man that Frank had helped out. "This boy and his friends only defended themselves. Those boys…" Mr. Roberts pointed at Spike and his gang, "started the trouble. Our waiter politely asked them to leave, when _that_ one over there pulled out a knife!" Mr. Roberts indicated Spikes.

"Is that true, Tony?" asked Con as he scribbled the information down in his notebook.

"Yes – Frank, Joe and Chet backed me up when they saw Spike take out the switchblade."

Tony's uncle, who happened to be the owner of Mr. Pizza, walked up to Con.

"Those thugs have been causing trouble for the past week! I want to press charges!" Eduardo Prito raked his hand through his hair as he stared at the mess. He let out a sigh when he noticed the scared expressions on his customers' faces. He took a few steps away from Tony.

"Excuse me everyone! I'm very sorry that your evening was ruined. To make it up to you…your dinners are on the house!"

The customers clapped and cheered, and Tony looked dubiously at his uncle. Eduardo Prito was known to be very tight with his money! Seeing his nephew's expression, Eduardo shrugged his shoulders as if to say _'it was the least I could do.'_ His generous offer gave the Mr. Pizza owner an added benefit as the customers began to help him clean up the damage done to the restaurant.

Before the cleaning began, Con made sure that he had taken several pictures of the scene. As Spike and his buddies were being led out in handcuffs, Spike turned to glare at Tony and his friends.

"You'll pay for this, Prito! You and your friends!"

The police officer dragged Spike out the door as the youth continued to rant at Tony.

Con had the Hardys, Callie and the Morton siblings call home to let their parents know they would be late coming home. Mr. Shaw was on his way to pick up Callie, as was Mr. Morton to get Chet and Iola. Although Frank had assured his parents that he and Joe were fine, Fenton and Laura were driving to Mr. Pizza as well.

Tony's Uncle Eduardo made a pizza especially for his nephew's friends. He was serving it when Fenton and Laura and Mr. Shaw arrived. Mr. Morton arrived five minutes later. Declining Mr. Prito's offer of a pizza but accepting a pitcher of iced tea, the parents sat down, and Fenton asked the teens questions about the fight.

"I'm glad my little girl had the foresight to call the police!" said Mr. Shaw, gazing at Callie with pride.

"And I never knew my Iola was so deadly with a pizza pan!" chuckled Mr. Morton.

"I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt!" exclaimed Laura as she looked pointedly at Tony's bandaged forearm.

"It was just a scratch Mrs. Hardy!" Tony tried to reassure her.

"It's a good thing Chet bumped into you!" Joe patted Chet on the back.

"And I'm glad I did!" Chet smiled at Tony.

"Well, it's late and your Aunt Gertrude will be worrying why we haven't gotten home already," said Fenton as he checked the time.

"Mr. Hardy is right – plus you need to get up early tomorrow morning." Mr. Morton looked pointedly at Chet and Iola.

"Mr. Prito, can we help you clean up these dishes?" asked Laura.

"Don't worry about that Mrs. Hardy….that's what Tony is for!" laughed Eduardo Prito.

"I think I need a raise!" lamented Tony, causing the group to laugh.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Frank had changed into an old T-shirt and pajama bottoms. He was pulling back the covers when he heard a discreet cough. He turned to find Joe leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom.

"Something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"No – I was just thinking about Spike's threat. Do you think he'd go after Tony?"

"You mean get revenge?"

"Yeah – he was pretty mad," Joe said with concern.

"I would be too if I was handcuffed and the police were taking me to jail!" Frank tried to lighten the situation but he could tell it wasn't working. "I hope not, but he might. We'll just have to keep an eye on Tony."

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Joe smiled. His grin got wider as he thought about that night. "Iola was really something, huh? I was really impressed with that swing of hers! She really walloped that jerk!"

"She sure was….She's not only a talented gymnast…and pretty…but she's got a good batting arm for deep dish pizza pans!"

"You think she's pretty?" asked Joe, his face a bright pink – for he had lately been thinking how cute and pretty Iola Morton was.

"Welllll…not as pretty as Callie, but yeah." Frank noted the new shade of pink on his brother's face but made no comment.

"Um…well…good night, Frank."

"Good night, Joe."

Frank smiled to himself as he watched Joe walk quickly through the bathroom that connected their rooms.

Poster's Note: Isn't Joe adorable in this? And Frank is a great big brother! Please remember to check out the author's profile and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The next morning as Frank ate breakfast Joe was still upstairs fast asleep. The older Hardy boy was alone – Fenton had left that morning to work on a new case. Laura and Aunt Gertrude were at the Red Cross and would return later that afternoon.

As he chewed a mouthful of cornflakes Frank smiled to himself, thinking about Joe's reaction towards Iola and how she had helped protect Chet. She had been amazing…was it any wonder that Joe had feelings for her? Now if only his younger brother would realize that his feeling for Iola was more than friendship!

Frank had to chuckle as he recalled his early days with Callie. He had been so shy around her – blushing and stuttering whenever he had to talk to her. Joe could have taken advantage of the situation – oh, his younger brother never missed an opportunity to tease, but he always did it when they were at home. That reason alone kept Frank from forcing the issue with Joe.

Suddenly there was a loud thump, then it sounded as if someone had fallen down the stairs. Frank winced, thinking it was a good thing his mother and aunt weren't home. Joe always scared them when he came down the stairs for breakfast. Frank looked up and watched Joe enter the room.

"Sheesh, Joe – no wonder Mom and Aunt Gertrude almost have a heart attack when you come down the stairs! It sounded like you fell!" Frank frowned at his brother.

"I did fall," mumbled Joe.

"What?! Are you all right – did you hurt yourself?!"

"No, my foot slipped on the second to last step…I'm fine."

Joe's hair was a disheveled mess; his eyes were barely open. Wearing a torn T-shirt and pajama boxers, the blond teen yawned as he found a bowl and a spoon. He barely glanced at the cereal box on top of the counter as he started towards the pantry.

"Mom said no Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops – if you want some sugar, slice up some fruit for the Corn Flakes."

Joe mumbled something as he searched for his cereal. Frank calmly finished his cereal, waiting for Joe to realize that his two favorite breakfast cereals were not there.

"Okay…where'd you hide them?" asked Joe, trying to suppress a yawn.

"I didn't hide them anywhere. Mom had Aunt Gertrude take them out, then they left along with the cereal."

"Doesn't Mom understand I can't function without my sugar rush?!"

"She understands that you _function_ a little too well!" Frank teased.

Joe didn't comment as he took some fresh strawberries from the refrigerator. Taking a handful out of the container, he then began slicing them – soon the corn flakes were almost invisible beneath the strawberry slices he had on top.

Frank chuckled softly as he watched his brother. "So what do you want to do on our first day of summer vacation?"

*paradigm*paradigm*

While Joe and Frank were contemplating their plans, over at the Morton farm Iola had finished her chores. She walked in the back door which led to the kitchen, and found her mother taking some fresh muffins out of the oven.

"Mmm, those smell yummy!" Iola smiled at her mother. "I don't mean to be complaining but…didn't you just make us a huge breakfast?"

"These aren't for us," replied Mrs. Morton with a smile. "I made these for—"

"Do I smell blueberry muffins?" asked Chet as he came thundering into the kitchen.

"As I was about to tell your sister," said Mrs. Morton, slapping Chet's hand away, "I made these for your friend Tony and his uncle."

Mrs. Morton tried not laugh when she saw the disappointed expression on her son's face. She arranged the muffins in a medium-sized basket and covered them with a checkered cloth napkin.

"I'd like both of you to get cleaned up, then you can take the muffins over to Tony. And Chet – no sampling the muffins!"

It was almost eleven a.m. when Chet and Iola left the farm with Chet driving his beloved 'Queen' to Tony's house. The 'Queen' was an old jalopy that had originally belonged to Chet's grandfather – the car had been handed down to Chester Morton Senior, who then handed it down to his son. Chet spent many weekends and summer days fixing the old jalopy. Working on the 'Queen' was the only hobby that Chet stuck with…and the stout teen had a lot of hobbies!

Just as Chet was driving up to Tony's house he saw a familiar yellow sedan pull up to the curb. Chet carefully parked in front of the Hardy vehicle.

"Hi Frank – Joe!" Chet sketched a wave as he got out of the car.

Joe felt his heart beat a little faster when he saw Iola get out of the car. When she picked up a basket Joe hurried over to help her.

"Let me help you with that!" Joe smiled shyly at her.

"I don't know," said Iola with a teasing twinkle in her eye. "I'm under strict orders to keep these away from Chet and you're as bad as he is when it comes to my mom's blueberry muffins."

"Oh that hurt!" gasped Joe as he slapped a hand across his chest as if he were in pain.

Iola rolled her eyes heavenward, giggling as she walked around Joe. He quickly turned around to catch up to her, then walked beside her with his hands in his pockets.

Tony was standing outside talking with Chet and Frank.

"Hi Tony – Mom hopes these will make you heal faster." Iola lifted the cloth napkin to reveal the muffins.

"Mmm, they smell delicious!" Tony closed his eyes as he took in the aroma.

"Hey wait a second…you mean Chet didn't try and eat these on the way here?"

"Not for lack of trying!" laughed Chet good-naturedly. "But my sister has a ferocious right hook!"

"Yeah, especially when she's holding on to a deep dish pizza pan!" chuckled Tony.

Iola blushed but felt proud that she had been able to help her brother. She took the teasing good-naturedly as she gave Tony the basket.

"Come inside and I'll share the muffins with you."

Wide grins could be seen as the group followed Tony into the house. Joe and Iola were behind everyone – he wasn't sure why, but he gently placed his hand on Iola's shoulder and then leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"I thought what you did last night was awesome," he whispered in her ear.

Iola ducked her head, smiling shyly as she quickened her steps to enter the house before Joe. Standing in the doorway, Joe couldn't believe that he had kissed Iola's cheek. As he closed the front door he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her on the lips.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Tony's uncle had given him the day off, and Chet suggested that they go to the Morton farm and go swimming in the pond close to his home. His suggestion was met with approval; soon phone calls were made and Phil, Biff and Callie readily agreed to the plans.

Iola and Chet left; Mr. Morton had made a barbeque pit near the pond and Chet wanted to have a barbeque.

Frank and Joe went home to get their swimming trunks, promising to come back for Tony.

Before arriving at the Morton farm the Hardys stopped at the store to buy chips and sodas. Chet had mentioned grilling hot dogs so Tony picked up a few extra packages of hot dogs and buns. Joe added paper plates and napkins.

As they walked out of the store Joe noticed two boys leaning casually against a tree. One was a Hispanic teen with long shaggy hair falling to his shoulders, the second teen a freckle-faced red-head. They were sharing a cigarette. Joe didn't know why, but something about the two boys made him wary.

"Frank…"

"I see them – just ignore them."

"Do you think they're friends of Spike's?" asked Tony as he glanced at the two boys.

"I'd bet on it! I noticed them earlier when you were getting the plates and napkins **,** " Frank said as he calmly opened the passenger door.

"Think we should check around the tires and make sure they didn't drop down any nails or glass?" asked Joe.

"Already got that covered," answered Tony as he walked around the car.

Satisfied that the car hadn't been tampered with, Frank, Joe and Tony got in and Frank drove away.

Flicking the cigarette to the ground the red-head silently pushed himself away from the tree.

"Let's go, it's almost time for Spike's arraignment."

"What if his mom doesn't want to bail him out?"

"What do you think? Payback, Carlos my man…payback time!"

*endofchapter*endofchapter*

 **Poster's Note:** Uh oh... sounds like Spike's friends are about to cause trouble... Once again, thanks so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Elm Street was considered the longest street in Bayport. A railroad track cut the street in half – depending on what side of the tracks you lived on showed how affluent your family was. The Hardy home was considered inside the tracks where the middle to high-middle class lived. The houses on the outside of the tracks ranged from lower middle class to low-income neighborhoods.

A freckle-faced red-haired teen walked across the tracks. No one paid much attention to him. With his green eyes and freckles the teen had an innocent look about him. This innocent appearance kept Charles (Charlie to his friends) out of trouble. No one would suspect that he was the leader of a gang.

Charlie walked two blocks, stopping in front of a duplex – the house was painted a mustard color that was now faded. The right side of the house had potted plants and a rose bush in front of the window. The left side had some trash lying around the front walk. Charlie kicked aside some of the trash before knocking on the door.

Carlos opened the door and let Charlie in, leading him towards the back of the house where his room was located. Two other boys were already inside. Charlie gave a slight nod towards the two boys as he walked into the room. Carlos closed and locked the door then turned to face his friends.

"What's up, Charlie?"

"Spike, Mikey and Toby are in jail…"

"Jail?! Shouldn't they be in juvie?!" asked one of the boys.

"Since Spike pulled a knife and Mikey and Toby are seventeen the D.A. decided to try them as adults!" snarled Charlie.

The other three teens hissed in anger. As one they stared at Charlie, waiting to hear what he wanted them to do.

It was payback time.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Joe lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, a happy smile on his face. It had been a fun-filled day swimming at the pond. Tony helping Chet with the barbeque pit – Biff and Frank making sure the sodas were iced in the cooler – Phil helping Daphne climb up the tree so they could dive off the low hanging branch – Iola and Callie giggling and whispering. Joe had been skimming stones and watching the two girls.

His smile grew wider as he thought how cute Iola looked in her bikini top and shorts. Joe sat up as his thoughts grew. He had known Iola since they were five years old, meeting her when he had visited the Morton farm with Frank. Joe thought that she was rather annoying – she followed him everywhere he went. Thinking to scare her off, Joe had found a small lizard and hid it behind his back and approached Iola. _" I got a surprise for you,"_ he had told her just before tossing the lizard at her.

Iola surprised him – instead of screaming and running away the young girl cradled the lizard in her hands and remarked: _"How cool! Thank you!"_ A friendship had been born. From then on Joe never considered Iola as a girl but as 'one of the guys'. But that changed when Joe began to take notice of the opposite sex. He wasn't exactly sure when he started to notice how nice and different girls were. It might have begun when Iola stopped wearing nothing but jeans and got into wearing skirts and dresses. That was also the time that Iola quit putting her hair in pigtails and wore it loose – her natural curls falling in unruly waves down her shoulders.

Joe leaned over and turned on the small lamp, then opened the drawer of his nightstand. He took out an envelope and with special care removed the picture that was inside. It was a week before school ended for summer vacation when Iola had slipped her school picture inside his book bag.

Joe thought about the other girls he went to school with. Liz Webling's eyes were green but she didn't have dark hair like Iola – Daphne Soesbee had dark hair but her eyes were blue, plus both girls were tall and willowy – Gail Summers was curvy and petite like Iola but she didn't have her dimpled smile and cute pixie-like face. Each girl he thought of had different aspects of Iola but they weren't Iola Morton!

Joe let out a sigh. He knew that he liked Iola, she was a great friend! But recently the thoughts he had been having about her were more than friendly. Before, when he thought of Iola it would be about playing ball or talking about cars or Iola's horse. Now he wondered what it would be like to kiss her – how she would feel in his arms. He suddenly found himself admiring her beauty, where before he'd admired her strength and courage. The combination of all three was very intoxicating! Joe put the picture back in the envelope then replaced it inside the drawer. He turned off the lamp and settled into bed. As he drifted off to sleep his thoughts were still on Iola Morton.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Con Riley let out a frustrated sigh. He stared down at the complaint forms sitting on his desk. The majority of the complaints had to do with teens. Teens that were bored and thought spray painting the side of a building was fun – or toilet papering someone's home. Those he could handle; it was the complaints of harassment – stealing – shoplifting. It was days like this that Con wished he hadn't become a policeman!

At least they had three bad apples in jail. He shuffled through the papers, then picked up the one he was searching for. Alex "Spike" Fine, Mikey Lerner and Toby Smith – all three had criminal records for shoplifting, breaking and entering, vandalism, and the list went on. The damage caused by the fight at Mr. Pizza and the added offence of using a weapon had caused the District Attorney to charge the three teens as adults. Con wondered if the fact that Spike would be turning eighteen in a few months had anything to do with being trialed as an adult. He just hoped that Spike's friends weren't going to retaliate and get revenge against the Pritos, the Hardys and their friends.

Unknown to Con a plan of revenge was already being put into action.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Tony Prito stood in the alleyway back of Mr. Pizza. A clipboard in his hand, he was verifying the produce order his uncle had called in. Satisfied that they had everything, Tony signed the invoice.

"Thanks, Hank!"

"My pleasure, Tony. See you in a few weeks." Hank sketched a wave as he got in his truck.

As soon as the truck drove away three teens came out of the shadows, Carlos and two of the boys who had been at his home – Jamie, a short wiry blond with a pug-like nose; Tom, a tall, muscular green-eyed teen with brown hair. They formed a semi-circle around Tony.

"Your friends aren't here to help you this time!" snarled Carlos he tapped a stick lightly against his leg.

Tony saw that the other teens also held some kind of weapon. His uncle wasn't due back for another hour and the wait staff didn't come in until twenty minutes before the restaurant opened. Quickly studying his assailants, Tony figured he could disarm the Hispanic and the blond guy but he wasn't sure about the third.

Jamie was the first to rush Tony. Using this to his advantage, with his quick moves Tony avoided getting hit and shoved Jamie into Tom. He then turned his attention to Carlos and struck the Hispanic teen in the jaw and eye and watched his assailant fall to the ground.

"Get off of me!" yelled Tom while pushing Jamie away from him. As Tom was scrambling up the three teens heard the screeching sound of tires as a truck turned the corner and came roaring towards them.

"Let's get out of here!" said Jamie, jumping over Carlos' prone body and running down the alley with Tom right behind him.

Tony let out a sigh of relief when he recognized the driver – Hank had come back.

"Tony, are you okay?" Hank jumped out of the truck and ran towards him.

"Yeah, you came in the nick of time," Tony sighed.

"It's a good thing I looked down the alley – I happened to see those punks. I see you got one of them."

"Yeah…would you mind watching him while I call the police?"

"I can do better than that," replied Hank as he took out his cell phone.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Aunt Gertrude was serving breakfast when there was a loud crash of glass shattering. Laura let out a shriek while Frank and Joe jumped out of their chairs and ran to the living room. They were confronted with a wall of smoke and flames licking the curtains.

"Mom, call the fire department!" yelled Frank. "Joe get the fire extinguisher!"

Joe grabbed the extinguisher that hung in the hall closet and gave it to his brother. He then ran back to the kitchen to get the one at the bottom of the food pantry. Before he went back to Frank he made sure his mother and aunt got out the back door.

The fire was spreading quickly as Frank frantically sprayed fire retardant. He saw Joe out of the corner of his eye and heard him turn the nozzle from a second fire extinguisher.

"I have a feeling someone threw a Molotov cocktail!" Frank coughed out.

"Is that why it's spreading so fast and hot?!"

The sound of sirens was sweet music to the brothers' ears. A minute later two firemen climbed through the broken window, each grabbing hold of Frank and Joe and getting them out of the house. Two more firemen worked on putting out the fire.

Frank and Joe were dragged over to the fire truck where someone put oxygen masks over their faces. Laura and Aunt Gertrude stood next to the boys. There was a small crowd of people gathering to watch, and Frank saw a familiar face in the crowd.

*endofchapter*endofchapter*

 **Poster's Note:** Oh wow, I don't know about you but I am so glad the boys and their mom and aunt are safe! Methinks those boys don't know who they're messing with! Get 'em boys!


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

One of the firemen walked over to the Hardys. He removed his helmet and mask, raking his hand through his light brown hair. His hazel eyes twinkled with mischief as he stared at Frank and Joe. Frank removed his oxygen mask to smile at the fireman.

"Hi Scott – how bad is the damage?"

"Don't know just yet – sooo….are you guys on a case or something?"

"No, but I have a feeling I know who did this," said Frank.

"Oh – how is that?" Scott looked curiously at the older boy.

"Joe and I had a run-in with some guys a few nights ago, then yesterday we saw a few of their friends and just now I saw one of them standing in the crowd!" Frank turned to point out the red-headed teen. "He's gone!" he cried out.

"Who – who's gone, Frank?!" asked Joe, turning in the direction his brother was looking.

"Do you remember those two guys at the store yesterday? One guy had dark hair and the other was a red-head… _that's_ who I saw not two minutes ago!"

"Well he's gone now," replied a disgusted Joe.

"Frank," Laura didn't look very happy as she got her son's attention. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Or your father – does Chief Collig know these boys are following you?"

Frank didn't know what to say as he stared at his mother and aunt, both women with angry, exasperated expressions on their faces.

"Well…uh…I couldn't tell Dad because…"

"Dad had already left to for Colorado…you know, that case he might take," said Joe quickly. "And truthfully, Mom…Frank and I thought they were just trying to scare us. We didn't think they would do something like this!"

Aunt Gertrude had turned towards the crowd when Frank was searching for his suspect. She was absently listening to Frank's explanation when she noticed an imposing figure step out of a police cruiser. She lightly tapped on Laura's shoulder to get her attention.

"Chief Collig is walking this way – this would be a good time for Frank to report the intimidation tactics those hooligans used the other day."

Chief Collig was stopped by the Fire Chief; the two men spoke for a minute then Collig went over to the Hardys.

"Hello Laura – Gertrude. Frank, Joe – your father didn't tell me you two were working on a case."

"We're not," sighed Joe. "This was courtesy of Spike's friends."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah we're sure," replied Frank, who then proceeded to tell Collig his suspicions and about the two teens who tried to intimidate them at the store.

"You saw one of them standing in the crowd? That does sound suspicious. Can you describe him for me?"

"Tall, about Joe's height – short red hair and freckles, average build. I think he was wearing a dark T-shirt but I'm not positive."

"Chief Thompson said it appears someone threw a Molotov cocktail through your window."

"That's what I thought – I could smell gasoline," said Frank sourly.

"I know Fenton left on a potential case so I'll have a car patrol the neighborhood. Be careful, you two."

Bidding the Hardys goodbye, Collig walked back to his car. He wanted to get back to the station and get out the description Frank gave him of the teen. A radio call interrupted his departure. As Collig listened to the police dispatcher he was glad that he was going to have a car patrol the neighborhood. The Police Chief was learning about the attack on Tony Prito.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Biff Hooper hadn't heard about the attack on Tony but he learned of the Hardys' misfortune. His home wasn't that far from theirs, and Biff had heard the sirens. He was about to head over to visit Frank and Joe anyway, but when he heard the sirens something told him to get over there fast!

As Biff was running down the street, Tom and Jaime were driving to meet up with Charlie. The two boys knew they were going to get in serious trouble when Charlie found out that they didn't beat up Tony. To make matters worse Carlos had been caught. The two boys didn't see Biff as he ran across the street and turned into the alley to cut across towards the Hardy home.

"Look, there's Charlie and he looks pissed!" said Jamie, pointing at their friend.

Tom pulled the car over to meet up with Charlie, who got in the backseat. Jamie noticed smoke rising in the sky.

"Did you burn down the house?"

"No! They must have had fire extinguishers in the house. Did you get Prito – where's Carlos?"

Jamie and Tom squirmed uneasily, neither wanting to tell Charlie what happened.

"Well?!"

Jamie took a deep breath. "Somebody drove up just as we got started. Carlos…Carlos may have gotten caught."

Tom drove in silence while listening to Charlie mumble expletives.

*paradigm*paradigm*

"Come on Iola, hurry it up!" Chet stood at the bottom of the stairs yelling at his sister.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Sheesh, hold your horses, Chet!" Iola came running down the stairs.

"If you want me to give you a ride to the mall you better be ready to leave when I am!"

Iola stuck her tongue out as she passed her brother. She let out a squeal of laughter when Chet lunged at her. He chased Iola out the door.

"Brat!" teased Chet once they reached his car.

"Dork!" Iola countered. She smiled sweetly at him as she got in the car.

"It's a good thing you're my favorite sister!"

"I'm your only sister, dingleberry!"

"I guess Mom and Dad never told you about…little Susie!"

Iola rolled her eyes. Chet had been telling her about her 'older' sister Susie for years! Telling her how their parents gave her away due to her bad behavior. Chet laughed and lightly punched Iola's shoulder before he drove away.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Charlie had Tom drive to the park but then changed his mind and told him to keep on driving. They reached the countryside and pulled into a small gas station. Filling the car with gas, Tom noticed a yellow jalopy drive by. He smiled when he saw who was driving the jalopy. Charlie and Jamie came out of the station carrying chips and sodas.

"Hurry and get in! I just saw the chubby guy and his sister drive by!"

With whoops of delight Charlie and Jamie hurriedly got in the car. Tom sped out of the gas station with his foot pressed hard on the gas pedal as he raced to catch up. Charlie moved closer to the front seat.

"Are you sure it's them?"

"Yeah…I recognized the girl from the newspaper! Plus her chubby brother was in my homeroom," Tom replied gleefully.

"Then go faster!" yelled Charlie.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Chet and Iola were still teasing each other and didn't notice the dark blue '65 Chevy speeding close to them. Chet happened to glance at his rearview mirror, and deciding to let the car pass he slowed down and started to pull to the side.

"He's making this too easy for us!" crowed Jamie.

"Yeah, he thinks we want to pass him!" laughed Tom.

"And that's what we're going to do…then when you get right next to him…ram him!" Charlie cackled gleefully.

Iola turned around when Chet started to pull over to the side of the road.

"What's their hurry?" she wondered out loud.

"I don't know but the Queen is in no hurry."

Iola giggled and was about to make a teasing remark when the Chevy slammed into the side of the car. Iola screamed in fright while Chet tightened his grip on the steering wheel while he also pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.

"Aargh! That old car barely moved!" Charlie screamed in frustration.

"And they're getting away!" yelled out Jamie.

"No they're not!" growled Tom.

Pressing his foot harder on the gas pedal, Tom was once again alongside Chet. He slammed his car into the jalopy, pulled away and hit the other car again…and again…and again.

Chet knew that his car's body was a lot stronger than the Chevy's but the constant barrage was taking its toll. He was having a hard time keeping control of the car. Then he saw something that made him sigh with relief. A large truck was heading towards the Chevy on the two lane road. The Chevy would have to either go ahead of him or slow down and get behind him – Chet hoped they would slow down, as it would give him a chance to speed up and get a good head start. But it didn't happen that way.

Tom saw the truck. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he sped up and with one last effort slammed into Chet's front end before speeding away. Charlie and Jamie turned around to look out the back window.

"Yes!" the two boys screamed as they watched the yellow jalopy go off the road and fall into the ditch.

*endofchapter*endofchapter*

Poster's Note: EEK! These boys are totally persistent. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 4**

Elm Street was considered the longest street in Bayport. A railroad track cut the street in half – depending on what side of the tracks you lived on showed how affluent your family was. The Hardy home was considered inside the tracks where the middle to high-middle class lived. The houses on the outside of the tracks ranged from lower middle class to low-income neighborhoods.

A freckle-faced red-haired teen walked across the tracks. No one paid much attention to him. With his green eyes and freckles the teen had an innocent look about him. This innocent appearance kept Charles (Charlie to his friends) out of trouble. No one would suspect that he was the leader of a gang.

Charlie walked two blocks, stopping in front of a duplex – the house was painted a mustard color that was now faded. The right side of the house had potted plants and a rose bush in front of the window. The left side had some trash lying around the front walk. Charlie kicked aside some of the trash before knocking on the door.

Carlos opened the door and let Charlie in, leading him towards the back of the house where his room was located. Two other boys were already inside. Charlie gave a slight nod towards the two boys as he walked into the room. Carlos closed and locked the door then turned to face his friends.

"What's up, Charlie?"

"Spike, Mikey and Toby are in jail…"

"Jail?! Shouldn't they be in juvie?!" asked one of the boys.

"Since Spike pulled a knife and Mikey and Toby are seventeen the D.A. decided to try them as adults!" snarled Charlie.

The other three teens hissed in anger. As one they stared at Charlie, waiting to hear what he wanted them to do.

It was payback time.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Joe lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, a happy smile on his face. It had been a fun-filled day swimming at the pond. Tony helping Chet with the barbeque pit – Biff and Frank making sure the sodas were iced in the cooler – Phil helping Daphne climb up the tree so they could dive off the low hanging branch – Iola and Callie giggling and whispering. Joe had been skimming stones and watching the two girls.

His smile grew wider as he thought how cute Iola looked in her bikini top and shorts. Joe sat up as his thoughts grew. He had known Iola since they were five years old, meeting her when he had visited the Morton farm with Frank. Joe thought that she was rather annoying – she followed him everywhere he went. Thinking to scare her off, Joe had found a small lizard and hid it behind his back and approached Iola. _" I got a surprise for you,"_ he had told her just before tossing the lizard at her.

Iola surprised him – instead of screaming and running away the young girl cradled the lizard in her hands and remarked: _"How cool! Thank you!"_ A friendship had been born. From then on Joe never considered Iola as a girl but as 'one of the guys'. But that changed when Joe began to take notice of the opposite sex. He wasn't exactly sure when he started to notice how nice and different girls were. It might have begun when Iola stopped wearing nothing but jeans and got into wearing skirts and dresses. That was also the time that Iola quit putting her hair in pigtails and wore it loose – her natural curls falling in unruly waves down her shoulders.

Joe leaned over and turned on the small lamp, then opened the drawer of his nightstand. He took out an envelope and with special care removed the picture that was inside. It was a week before school ended for summer vacation when Iola had slipped her school picture inside his book bag.

Joe thought about the other girls he went to school with. Liz Webling's eyes were green but she didn't have dark hair like Iola – Daphne Soesbee had dark hair but her eyes were blue, plus both girls were tall and willowy – Gail Summers was curvy and petite like Iola but she didn't have her dimpled smile and cute pixie-like face. Each girl he thought of had different aspects of Iola but they weren't Iola Morton!

Joe let out a sigh. He knew that he liked Iola, she was a great friend! But recently the thoughts he had been having about her were more than friendly. Before, when he thought of Iola it would be about playing ball or talking about cars or Iola's horse. Now he wondered what it would be like to kiss her – how she would feel in his arms. He suddenly found himself admiring her beauty, where before he'd admired her strength and courage. The combination of all three was very intoxicating! Joe put the picture back in the envelope then replaced it inside the drawer. He turned off the lamp and settled into bed. As he drifted off to sleep his thoughts were still on Iola Morton.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Con Riley let out a frustrated sigh. He stared down at the complaint forms sitting on his desk. The majority of the complaints had to do with teens. Teens that were bored and thought spray painting the side of a building was fun – or toilet papering someone's home. Those he could handle; it was the complaints of harassment – stealing – shoplifting. It was days like this that Con wished he hadn't become a policeman!

At least they had three bad apples in jail. He shuffled through the papers, then picked up the one he was searching for. Alex "Spike" Fine, Mikey Lerner and Toby Smith – all three had criminal records for shoplifting, breaking and entering, vandalism, and the list went on. The damage caused by the fight at Mr. Pizza and the added offence of using a weapon had caused the District Attorney to charge the three teens as adults. Con wondered if the fact that Spike would be turning eighteen in a few months had anything to do with being trialed as an adult. He just hoped that Spike's friends weren't going to retaliate and get revenge against the Pritos, the Hardys and their friends.

Unknown to Con a plan of revenge was already being put into action.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Tony Prito stood in the alleyway back of Mr. Pizza. A clipboard in his hand, he was verifying the produce order his uncle had called in. Satisfied that they had everything, Tony signed the invoice.

"Thanks, Hank!"

"My pleasure, Tony. See you in a few weeks." Hank sketched a wave as he got in his truck.

As soon as the truck drove away three teens came out of the shadows, Carlos and two of the boys who had been at his home – Jamie, a short wiry blond with a pug-like nose; Tom, a tall, muscular green-eyed teen with brown hair. They formed a semi-circle around Tony.

"Your friends aren't here to help you this time!" snarled Carlos he tapped a stick lightly against his leg.

Tony saw that the other teens also held some kind of weapon. His uncle wasn't due back for another hour and the wait staff didn't come in until twenty minutes before the restaurant opened. Quickly studying his assailants, Tony figured he could disarm the Hispanic and the blond guy but he wasn't sure about the third.

Jamie was the first to rush Tony. Using this to his advantage, with his quick moves Tony avoided getting hit and shoved Jamie into Tom. He then turned his attention to Carlos and struck the Hispanic teen in the jaw and eye and watched his assailant fall to the ground.

"Get off of me!" yelled Tom while pushing Jamie away from him. As Tom was scrambling up the three teens heard the screeching sound of tires as a truck turned the corner and came roaring towards them.

"Let's get out of here!" said Jamie, jumping over Carlos' prone body and running down the alley with Tom right behind him.

Tony let out a sigh of relief when he recognized the driver – Hank had come back.

"Tony, are you okay?" Hank jumped out of the truck and ran towards him.

"Yeah, you came in the nick of time," Tony sighed.

"It's a good thing I looked down the alley – I happened to see those punks. I see you got one of them."

"Yeah…would you mind watching him while I call the police?"

"I can do better than that," replied Hank as he took out his cell phone.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Aunt Gertrude was serving breakfast when there was a loud crash of glass shattering. Laura let out a shriek while Frank and Joe jumped out of their chairs and ran to the living room. They were confronted with a wall of smoke and flames licking the curtains.

"Mom, call the fire department!" yelled Frank. "Joe get the fire extinguisher!"

Joe grabbed the extinguisher that hung in the hall closet and gave it to his brother. He then ran back to the kitchen to get the one at the bottom of the food pantry. Before he went back to Frank he made sure his mother and aunt got out the back door.

The fire was spreading quickly as Frank frantically sprayed fire retardant. He saw Joe out of the corner of his eye and heard him turn the nozzle from a second fire extinguisher.

"I have a feeling someone threw a Molotov cocktail!" Frank coughed out.

"Is that why it's spreading so fast and hot?!"

The sound of sirens was sweet music to the brothers' ears. A minute later two firemen climbed through the broken window, each grabbing hold of Frank and Joe and getting them out of the house. Two more firemen worked on putting out the fire.

Frank and Joe were dragged over to the fire truck where someone put oxygen masks over their faces. Laura and Aunt Gertrude stood next to the boys. There was a small crowd of people gathering to watch, and Frank saw a familiar face in the crowd.

*endofchapter*endofchapter*

 **Poster's Note:** Oh wow, I don't know about you but I am so glad the boys and their mom and aunt are safe! Methinks those boys don't know who they're messing with! Get 'em boys!


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Jamie and Charlie hooted with laughter as they watched the yellow jalopy fall into the ditch. Jamie slapped his hands on the top of the seat like he was banging on drums. Tom hadn't been able to see what happened so he shouted to his friends to tell him what occurred.

"Oh man Tom you should of seen it! That last hit and he lost control of the car! BAM! Right into the ditch! It was SWEET!" exclaimed Jamie.

"This calls for a celebration – head out to Sammie's, the beers are on me!" crowed Charlie.

Tom slowed down on the speed and all three teens smiled when the sheriff's car zoomed past them. Several minutes later, Tom pulled into Sammie's, a small convenience store whose owner turned a blind's eye to underage drinkers.

When Tom and Jamie came out of the store each carried six packs of beer and a bag filled with chips, dip and candy. Jamie handed Charlie the bags and one six pack as Tom placed the other pack in the front. While they drove back to Jamie's house they drank the first pack of beer. Charlie opened the second pack and handed one can each to his friends. They arrived at the railroad tracks when they heard the train horn blasting. Tom pressed his foot hard on the gas pedal. Jamie laughed and egged his friend on. High on the exhilaration of chasing Chet's car off the road combined with the three beers on an empty stomach the boys felt invincible. Tom raced forward to beat the train.

They lost.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Before Frank reached Joe he felt a firm hand on his shoulder that pulled him back. He turned and glared at Biff.

"Biff what you think…?"

"I'm not going to prevent you from lecturing Joe – however I am going to make you calm down first!"

"Wouldn't you be angry if your little brother drove like a maniac without a valid driver's license?" Frank said in an angry tone.

"Yes but if it were Callie wouldn't you do the same thing?"

Frank looked over at Joe who nervously bit his lower lip. He raked his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. After he took a deep breath he walked over to Joe.

"Frank, I'm…."

"Do you have the keys?" asked Frank quietly.

"Uh…yeah," replied a perplexed Joe. He dug them out of his pocket and handed them to Frank.

"I'm going to park the car… don't go anywhere!" Frank gave Joe a stern glare before he left.

Biff gave Joe's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, I got him to calm down a bit."

"Thanks, Biff." Joe gave his friend a smile.

As a nurse came out and spotted the Morton's she walked over to them. Joe, Biff and Chet waited anxiously while Mr. and Mrs. Morton spoke with the nurse. Once the nurse left the three boys hurried over.

"Is Iola okay?" asked Chet.

"Yes, she's in a room now; the nurse told us where to go," Mr. Morton replied.

"Joe, would you like to come with us? I'm sure Iola would love to see you," said Mrs. Morton.

Joe really wanted to go with them but he knew Frank would be angry if he left.

"Thank you Mrs. Morton but I need to wait for Frank. Don't let me keep you!"

"I understand. She's on the third floor – room 310," She gently patted his shoulder.

"See you later, Joe," said Chet while he gave Joe a wave before Chet followed his parents to the elevator.

Biff and Joe walked toward the entrance so Frank could find them in the busy emergency room.

"How long does it take to park a car?" asked Joe twenty minutes later.

Biff and Joe had stepped outside. The younger Hardy now paced up and down the sidewalk. He came to a sudden stop and looked worriedly at Biff.

"You don't think he ran into anymore of Spike's friends do you?"

Biff was about to suggest they go search for Frank when he saw the dark-haired teen striding towards them; he didn't look too happy.

"Well so much for letting him calm down," sighed Joe.

"Sorry I took so long – couldn't find a parking space. Finally found one somewhere in Siberia!" Frank explained when he saw the worried expression on Joe's face.

Stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets, Joe stared down at the ground while he shuffled his feet. He wanted to see Iola but knew he couldn't until Frank had his say. Joe wasn't looking forward to his brother's lecture – the young teen really hated when his brother was mad at him.

"I'll wait for you guys inside." Biff said as he started to walk away.

"You don't have to leave Biff. Joe and I can talk later. Right now, I think we should call home to let Mom know we're here and okay."

Joe let out a groan and noticed the smirk on Frank's face. If his brother had wanted to punish him – he picked the perfect one!

*paradigm*paradigm*

After getting an earful from his mother, Joe was finally going to see Iola. As he, Biff and Frank got in the elevator he heard Biff tell Frank Iola was on the third floor.

"Frank, why'd you push for the first floor? Biff just told you Iola is on the third!" Joe almost cringed from the whiny sound of his voice.

"You wouldn't want to go in empty handed would you?" Frank replied as he got off the elevator and headed for the gift shop.

Joe followed Frank as he berated himself for not thinking about getting Iola a gift. He strolled through the small shop and found a small white teddy bear with a red bow around its neck. Joe knew that Iola collected teddy bears and didn't think she had this one. Checking the price he figured he had enough to purchase it. He found Frank at the counter holding a vase with three carnations and baby's breath. He placed the teddy next to the flowers and gave Frank his share of the money.

After they paid for their purchases, the three boys went up to the third floor where they found Chet waiting for them.

"There you are! Mom and Dad went to get something to eat and Iola has been asking for you Joe. I didn't want to leave her alone but she asked me to see if you were here yet."

"Here Joe," said Frank. He handed Joe the flowers. "Why don't you take these to her? Biff and I can go after you."

Anxious to see Iola, Joe didn't notice the silly grins on Frank, Biff and Chet's faces. With a firm grip on the vase and the teddy bear held tightly to his chest, Joe walked quietly into the hospital room. He saw Iola lying in bed. He frowned slightly when he saw the bandage wrapped around her head. At first, Joe thought that she was sleeping but then Iola opened her eyes and smiled.

"Oh, those flowers are beautiful! I can't believe you got those for me!" gushed Iola.

"I got you a teddy," said Joe not thinking to tell Iola that the flowers were from Frank.

He placed the flowers by her bedside and gave her the teddy bear. Joe stood nervously and stared at the floor. He tentatively looked up and reached out to softly touch her bandaged head.

"Are you okay – I mean really okay?" He asked softly.

"The…the doctors say I have a mild concussion. I hit my head hard on the door frame when the car flipped," Iola answered as her heart pounded with excitement.

"Iola," Joe took her hand as he gazed intently at her. "I…I always thought of you as a good friend but… those feelings changed…"

"Changed – changed how?" Iola was getting scared.

"You're going to think this is stupid or weird but….well….I finally realized…that you're a girl! I mean I knew you were a girl but not a _girl girl_! Then when I heard about the car accident…I was afraid that I'd never get a chance to tell you… I've fallen in love with you, Iola!"

"It's about time!" Iola laughed. She then let go of Joe's hand and caressed his cheek before she pulled him close.

Joe smiled when Iola placed her hand behind his neck then pulled him down. He had wanted to do this for a long time!

Joe and Iola experienced their first kiss.

*endofchapter*endofchapter*

 **Poster's Note:** Just one short chapter left! And wasn't that sweet? ::mushy smile:: Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

The Judge stared sternly at the two teens who stood in his court. Both appeared to be contrite and scared as they gazed up at the judge. Their court appointed attorneys distanced themselves from Spike; they asked the Judge to charge the two boys separately, arguing that Spike started the incident and was the only one who had a weapon.

"Toby Smith, Mikey Lerner you have been found guilty of your crimes. You have shown remorse for what you have done and have been exemplary prisoners while you awaited trail. I sentence you boys to eighteen months at the Bayport Men's prison."

Toby and Mikey closed their eyes and let out twin sighs of relief. Neither of them had wanted to fight but they were honor bound by their association with the gang. They had been scared while in prison and when they learned about the deaths of Charlie, Jamie and Tom it made them realize how dumb they were. With the help of their court appointed attorney they had contacted Eduardo Prito to apologize and to promise to pay for any damages. The guards led them out of the court room and Alex 'Spike' Fine was escorted before the judge.

"Alex Fine…"

"Spike, my name is Spike!" growled the young teen.

"Very well," sighed the judge. "Spike you have shown no remorse for what you have done. In fact you have been nothing but trouble since you were charged. I have a report of the trouble you caused while you were being held in prison. Therefore I sentence you to ten to fifteen years at the Bayport Men's prison."

The judge's gavel hit his desk with a loud bang.

As the guards took hold of Spike he turned around and glared at the Hardys and their friends.

"You just wait….you'll be sorry," he yelled out angrily as the guards dragged him away.

*paradigm*paradigm*

"Well I'm glad that's over with," sighed Gertrude Hardy.

"We are too Aunt Gertrude!" Frank smiled at his aunt.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm starving!" Chet let out a low moan while rubbing his ample stomach.

"I'm experiencing a sense of deja vu!" laughed Joe.

Callie and Iola laughed along with Joe. Tony just shrugged when he noticed Aunt Gertrude's and Mrs. Hardy's perplexed expressions.

"That's exactly what he said the night Spike drew a knife on Tony," explained Frank.

Mrs. Morton came up behind Chet and gave him a hug. "My Chet is a growing boy, he needs his nourishment!"

"Well it's a good thing I've prepared a nice lunch for everyone then," replied Aunt Gertrude. "No chance of getting into any trouble!"

"Now Gertrude, it wasn't like the boys went looking for trouble," chuckled Laura.

Mrs. Morton, Mrs. Hopper and Mrs. Prito joined in the laughter as the group walked out of the courthouse filled with laughter and they smiled so much that no one noticed Joe and Iola held hands and lagging behind. Every now and then Joe fluffed back the bangs that Iola now wore to cover the scar on her temple.

"Come on you two – hurry it up!" Chet yelled out.

"It's shorty here! She can't keep up with us long-legged people!" replied Joe.

"Hey," Iola gasped while she punched Joe in the arm.

"Hop on and I'll give you a lift!"

Iola jumped on Joe's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Holding onto her legs, Joe ran down the rest of the steps toward Chet. Iola rode piggy-back the rest of the walk to the cars. Callie teased Frank for not carrying her to the car.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Frank, Callie and the rest of the gang didn't think anything was strange with Joe and Iola's behavior. The young couple always teased each other. If Joe appeared to be more caring, everyone assumed it had to do with the accident. He even treated Chet a little nicer.

Mrs. Prito was unable to join the Hardys for lunch but told Tony to stay and have fun. Biff offered a ride to him and he went to join Biff and his mother. Callie had spent the night at the Morton farm she got in the car with Iola, Chet and Mrs. Morton. Mrs. Hopper rode with Laura and Gertrude while Biff and Tony rode with Frank and Joe.

Laura Hardy was surprised and concerned when she saw smoke coming from the backyard. Frank and Joe immediately got out of their car – Frank running over to his mother's side.

"Stay in the car, Joe and I will have a look!"

"Don't forget about us," said Chet. Biff agreed; his face set in a determined expression.

"You boys be careful," Aunt Gertrude gazed worriedly at her nephews and their friends.

Suddenly a tall shadowy figure could be seen walking toward the back gate. Then a familiar figure opened the back gate and walked over to the car.

"Dad!" Joe and Frank cried out in unison as they hurried over.

Fenton placed an arm around their shoulders; he grinned happily at his sons. Laura and Gertrude practically jumped out of the car as they ran over to Fenton.

"When did you get back?" asked Laura.

"About an hour ago. I knew it was too late to make it to the courthouse so I decided to grill some burgers." Fenton replied with a grin.

"Hi Mr. Hardy welcome back!" greeted Chet followed by the Hoopers and Mrs. Morton.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make the trial," said Fenton. Laura kept him up to date when he called home.

"They learned what their sentence was going to be today," Chet informed Mr. Hardy.

"How did it go?" asked Fenton.

"Spike got ten to fifteen and I doubt he's going to get out with good behavior!" chuckled Joe.

"Fenton, what were you doing in the backyard and why did we see smoke?" Gertrude asked as she headed for the backyard.

"OH! I saw the potato salad and the hamburger patties ready to be cooked sooo…..I got the grill going."

"Yes!" Chet pumped his fist happily.

It was mid-afternoon when Mrs. Hooper and Biff started to head home. Fenton offered to give them a ride home but Mrs. Hooper declined the offer.

"The walk will do me good - I need to walk off lunch," she chuckled.

"Are you sure, Linda?" asked Mrs. Morton. "The kids and I will be leaving in a few minutes…as soon as I find Iola!"

"I know where she is Mom – she and Joe went inside to get something to more lemonade."

"They're sure taking their sweet time – I've been waiting for twenty minutes for them to come back," griped Aunt Gertrude.

Taking his glass with him, Chet went inside the house. A few seconds later they heard a yelp and glass shattering. Frank was the first to jump out of his seat and run towards the house – Fenton was right behind them.

*paradigm*paradigm*

Chet walked into the kitchen it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust coming from the brightness outside. What he saw caused him to let out a loud gasp and drop his glass.

"Chet are you all right?" asked Iola and Joe.

"Chet what's wrong?" asked Frank.

Frank came to a quick halt as he almost crashed into Chet. Frank did bump into his stout friend when Fenton ran into him. Frank moved around Chet and glanced around the room. He noted Joe and Iola stood apart, blushing – Chet's mouth was open in shock. Mrs. Morton made her way inside the kitchen.

"Chet what is going on here?"

Chet blinked a few times then a hug grin appeared on his face.

"Oh nothing – I just caught Iola and Joe kissing!"

Iola moved closer to Joe, placing her arm around his waist.

"As Joe's _girlfriend_ I'm allowed to kiss him!"

Joe nodded his head. "And as Iola's _boyfriend…_ " Turning Joe soundly kissed Iola on the lips.

*endofstory*endofstory*

 **Poster's Note:** Yay! And how adorable! And, to those of you who read, thank you for doing so.


End file.
